STACK #229 November 2023

SMART HOME

TECH FEATURE

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6 STEPS FOR SETTING UP A SMART HOME continued

6 TOP TIPS

Get in the habit of leaving wall light switches alone if you have smart lighting. If you turn them off, your lights won’t be smart. Position security cameras within easy reach for when it’s time to recharge the battery.

4. POSITION For devices like security cameras, speakers and lights that are placed throughout the home, it helps to assign them a designation. This can be the name of the room or a number, or you can group them by room so your voice assistant knows which ones you want to control: “Turn off bedroom lights”, “Play [music/podcast] on speaker 2”. This is also very helpful for window and motion sensors – you’ll want to know which one was triggered when receiving a push notification. Again, good Wi-Fi coverage is a must to ensure all your devices are in range, and if you have a large or multi-storey home, a mesh network will boost the Wi-Fi signal so it remains consistently strong in every corner. 5. SET ROUTINES Routines, or ‘scenes’, are basically a sequence

Check a device’s security/privacy settings and that it’s running the current firmware update. Delete routines you no longer use to declutter and streamline your system. This helps to prevent any potential problems with device interactions. Don’t immediately assume that a smart home device is faulty if it doesn’t work properly. The problem is more than likely Wi-Fi related, so check the placement of your router and strength of the Wi-Fi signal. Also try rebooting the device. Create a virtual boundary, aka a geofence, that’s linked to the GPS on your smartphone. This helps a smart home automatically enable set routines when you leave and enter the perimeter, such as turning off the lights and closing the garage door, and vice versa. 6. SMARTEN UP YOUR OLD APPLIANCES Just because a device or appliance is old doesn’t mean it can’t be made smart. Smart plugs with Wi-Fi enable ‘dumb’ appliances – like a lamp or coffee machine – to be easily switched on and off from the companion app, wherever you are. You can also set timers and schedules, and use voice control where supported. They are also great energy savers for HVAC and devices with a standby mode. And if you have an older model TV without any inbuilt streaming apps, you can easily make it smart with a media streaming dongle like Chromecast with Google TV (see page 34).

touchscreen display give you more functionality, including streaming, making video calls, and viewing real time video from connected security cameras and doorbells. Perhaps the most important part of smart home management is the ecosystem that comprises all your devices. Choosing one that’s compatible with your existing tech and voice assistant lets you more easily manage and automate your smart home. Many smart home devices support Alexa and Google Assistant, and if you have an iPhone and Macbook, then Apple HomeKit is the way to go. Check the device’s box or specs for supported systems, and also look out for the Matter standard for interoperability (see page 14) between devices from different brands.

of preset instructions that schedule smart home devices to activate and deactivate at predetermined times with a single command. They can be easily set up via a smartphone app or smart home hub – it’s a bit like programming a computer, albeit a lot more straightforward. For example, set a routine to unlock the front door and turn on the lights and TV when you arrive home, or one

that shuts everything down for the night when it’s bedtime. Routines are also useful while on holiday to turn indoor and exterior lights on and off periodically. Routines can be as simple or as complex as you please, and are easily customisable to include additional commands or remove ones that you no longer use.

12 NOVEMBER 2023

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